Slide changing device



F. C. BEEKLEY July 22, 1952 SLIDE CHNGIN DEVICE '5 Simms-sheet'- 1 Filed April' 27. 1951 July 22, 1952 E. c. BEEKLEY SLIDE CHANGING DEVICE 3 Sheets-sheet 2 Filed April 27, 1951 www.

` l .ZhwerItor FPANC/S CHEY/VEY BEE/(LEY BB v 64M I J'xl'y' 22;'1952 F. c. BEEKLEY `vvZQ'VQS SLIDE CHANGING DEVICE Filed April 2v, 1951 3 SheeIs-Sheet 3 AF/G. /o l Y attorneys Patented July 2 2, 1952 UNITED STATES ENT: fF'OFFICE.

Franci-Sv lilelxiyk'tsfrd, donn. K l

Applicatit'il'l April 27, 1951, Serial No. 223,260

f i Y 5'Claims. 1

This invention lrelates to slidevprojectors and more specifically to a slide changing device by which transparencies or slides are to be moved into andout of projecting position.`

One object vvof the 'present invention is tol provide a slide changing device which willA move one slide at Aa ytime out of the supply magazine toward a projecting position and which may be operated to feed a plurality of slides-in single order into projecting position and thereafter eject and collect the slides in the same order and arrangement as. existed in thesupply magazine. i

'It is another-object of this inventionfto provide a slide changing devicewhich is characterized by a simplified construction and compact arrangement of parts and which may be actuated by a single manipulation to'move one slide out 'of the supply magazine,r move a second slide into register for projection, andsimultaneously eject a third previously projected slide.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slide changer which may be readily assembled for operation with a. 'projector and which may be easily disassembled intoy separate units for Storage. f

Other objects' will be in part -obvious and in part pointed 'out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists inthe features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction. hereafter set forth and the scopefo'f the'ap'plication of which will be indicated in the appended claims. i

In the drawings:

Fig. 9 is a perspective view ofthe feederelement; and f Fig. 1 is a top plan view with parts in cross section of av slide 'changing device constructed in accordance with `the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational viewof thetslide changer shown in Fig.y 1; Y f

Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof` the elongated 'channel guide which accommodates movement of the slides into' and out of projection position;y

Fig. 4 is a left hand end View of the slide changing device shown in Fig.` l;

Fig. l0 -is a view similar to Figi-5 vbut showing amodified slide ejector; o

In accordance-with the present invention,: ,the slide changercomprises generally anelongated guide A along which the transparency-Slides are successively moved -in edge-tc-edge relation past a projection opening il; afslidemagazin'e B de,- tachably supported by the guide and 'extending forwardly therefrom; a receiver JC detachably supported -by and extending .forwardly from, the other end of the guide; a feeder D slidablyveare ried by theguide vfor forwardingthewslides in succession from the; lmagazine and along the guide into registry withvthe projection open-ing Il and then. to the receiver C; and a device-E for insuring that the foremost slide inthe maga'- zine is advanced laterally beyond the magazine before another slide can beadvanced seas to prevent the slides from being advanced in overlapped relation.

The slide changer is'mounted with respect to the projector between the source ofjlight and the lens and with the projection opening therekbetween in any suitable manner, either directly on the projector or by means` of la .separatefsupport. Obviously, the magazine and receiver ,may extend Veither,rearwardly of4 theguide or vforwardly thereof. However, for convenience indisclosurethe word .forwardly has been used and will hereinafter be used as indicating the direction inwhich the slides are moved zine towards the guide...

Referring more specifically to `the ldrawings and particularly to ythe guide, thegsame-.com-

' rprises :a horizontally extending generally ver- Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the righthand end portion of the slide changing device;

6 is a changer; Y. l f Fig. 7 is a rear elevational view vof the lefthand portion of the slide changershown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a side'vievv of the delivery endzof the supply magazine and-a vertical` cross-sectional view ef that portion of .the guide to which n is attached; 1 Y w l righthand end view-of the .slide ticavlly disposed strip having its upper and `.lower edges ,turned rg-arvvardlyv and then vertically so that thestrip has. a front wall i2, 'a horizontal web I3 and a depending flange I4; at the top; a horizontal :web l5 and an upstanding flange le at the bottom. TherevisfthugJ provided at the .top and bottom edges grooves ontrackways 'Hand IB, respectively, which accommodate the upper and lower edges of the slidesas they jare moved therealong. To the I efthandv side of the projection opening the flanges Id and le are cut away as-at I9 and 20so as to accommodate the forwardend of the magazine B. The lower web l5 is offset or depressed downwardly4 slightly so as to vform a seat 25`for the bottom of the magaz1ne. Y l vAt the right end ofthe guidenthe lower flange I6 iscut away as at gpl, so astozaccommodate the upper portion of the front ,wall of vvthe' receiver C in the' magaf 23 which urge the slides against the front web or wall I2 of the guide.

Referring now to the magazine, the same comprises a trough-like member adapted to receive a plurality of transparencies arranged one behind the other and with the rear faces of the slides Y directed towards the guide. In the present illusktrative disclosure, the magazine is formed of sheet metal and has a bottom 30 and side walls 3l and 32. The slides in the magazine are urged towards the guide by a follower 33 slidably engaging the bottom 36 and having an upright flange 34 on its forward end adapted to engage against the rearmost slide in the magazine. The other end 35 of the follower is bent back upon itself so as to project beneath the under side of the magazine bottom 36. A coil spring 36 having its opposite ends respectively connected to the magazine body and the follower end 35 urges the follower in a direction to advance the slides towards the guide.

In order to detachably mount the magazine on the guide, the bottom of the magazine is provided at its forward end with two downwardly bent lugs 31 which are adapted to hook into slots 3B in the front wall of the guide immediately above the seat 25 with the forward end of the magazine bottom resting upon the seat. The forward upper corners of the side walls 3I and 32 of the magazine have laterally outwardly extending ears 40 which are adapted to engage behind the edges of the top flange I4 at opposite sides of the cut-away portion I9 thereof. To mount the magazine on the guide, the lugs 31 are inserted into the slots 3B and then the magazine is swung upwardly so as to engage the ears 4U behind the top flange I4. This operation is facilitated by pressing the side walls 3| and 32 towards each other as the magazine is swung into position. When the magazine is in position, the forward edge 21 of the lefthand wall 3| is adapted to engage the rear face of the vertical wall I2 of the guide. This edge is notched or cut away as at 28 so as to accommodate movement of the feeder D. The front edge 29 of the other side wall 32 terminates short of the vertical wall I2 of the guide so as to provide a gap therebetween through which the foremost slide is fed from the magazine towards the projection opening I I.

Referring now to the receiver C, the same comprises a box-like structure, open at the righthand side so as to permit removal of the stacked transparencies received therein. The receiver has a bottom wall 45, a forward wall 46, a rear wall 41 and. an end wall 48. The bottom wall has an elongated notch 49 so as to facilitate gripping between the fingers the stack of transparencies. The front wall 46 is turned rearwardly so as to provide a generally horizontal ledge 50 over which the slides tumble from the guide into the receiver. as hereinafter described more in detail. For the purpose of preventing the slides from tumbling out the open side of the receiver, a removable plate 5I. preferably of transparent material, is provided. This plate is removably held in place'by engaging it in a slot 52 extending 4 suitable distance in the front wall 46 of the receiver.

In order to removably mount the receiver on the righthand end of the guide, the latter has a pair of rearwardly extending upturned lugs 53 and the receiver front wall 46 has spaced below the shelf 50 slots 54 adapted to receive the lugs 53. The receiver is mounted in place by hooking the lugs into the slotsand then permitting the receiver to swing down to a substantially vertical position. Extending forwardly from the front wall of the receiver adjacent its upper edge is an abutment 55 adapted, when the receiver is in place, to engage the bottom edge of the guide. This abutment is preferably adjustable in order Yto adjust the vertical position of the receiver to insure that the slides will properly tumble into the receiver in correct position as hereinafter described in more detail. In the present instance this abutment is in the form of an eccentric secured in place by a screw .56. It may be stated here that, when the receiver is in place, the upper end of the front wall 46 of the receiver extends above the bottom web I5 of the guide so that when ra transparency reaches its delivery position, the lower end thereof cannot move rearwardly but, on the other hand, is maintained in the groove between the vertical wall of the guide and the upper end of the receiver until the upper edge of the transparency has pivoted rearwardly and downwardly te the position indicated by the numeral 2 in Fig. 6. The receiver is of such depth as to permit a relatively large number of slides to tumble therein successively through 270.

Referring now te the feeder D, shown in detail in Fig. 9, the same is formed of sheet material folded upon itself to provide a U-shaped member, the front and rear sections 60 and 6I of which straddle the front wall I2 of the guide. The connecting web of the feeder is mounted in a longitudinally extending slot 62 in the front wall of the guide. The righthand or forward edge 63 of the rear section 6I thrusts against the edge of the foremost slide in the magazine as the feeder is moved in a feeding direction, that is, to the right. A rearwardly facing projection or cam' 64 is provided on the rear section 6I to the left of its front edge 63. This projection serves to engage the second slide in the magazine and push it rearwardly against the follower as the foremost slide is being moved by the feeder from the magazine. This assists in preventing the first two slides. from snagging or jamming as the first slide is moved from the magazine. In addition, a rubber wiper 65 is secured by ears 66 so as to extend slightly beyond the forward edge of the right hand wall 32 of the magazine. This wiper tends to sweep a second slide back into the magazine in the event that vit should tend to move or be dragged out of the magazine by the foremost slide.

The feeder or pusher D may be reciprocated by any suitable means, but for purposes of illustration, a pneumatic pump is illustrated. The pump has a cylinder 13 secured to the guide by means of a bracket 14 removably clamped in place by a screw 15. The pump has a springreturned piston 16, the right hand end of which is secured to a flange 11 projecting from the front feeder section 60. When the operator compresses a bulb 18 attached by a tube 19 to the cylinder 13, the piston is moved on its operative stroke to carry the pusher forwardly from the re.-

across the shelf or ledge 50 and downwardly a 75 tracted position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to a posiprojection aperture I I.`

tion where its forward edge 63 is slightly tothe right of a hereinafter described stop actuating 'finger Sil. When the' bulbis released, the spring within the cylinder returnsthe piston` and feeder to the retracted position. I

` 'in the event that-the operator'should press the rbulb only to such 'an extent that the foremost slide is not advanced 'inthe guide beyond the magazine and; upon return of 'the feeder to its fully retractcd'position'th'e bulbivvere again compressed, the feeder'wouldfpi'ck up the second transparency while the latter overlapped the trailing edge of the foremost transparency and va jamming would thereupon likely result 4in `spite of the wiper 65. To preventthis; means lis pro-- vided for preventin'gthe feeder from moving to a retracted position where .it can pick up the second transparency while the first transparency `is stillin a position where it has not .beenimoved completely out of the magazine'.V AThis rmeans comprises a wire element 8| having a central portion d2 journaled in bent ears-83 struck forwardly from the vertical wallof theguide. i EX- tending from opposite ends of this'central portion are 'a pair of arms one of which Iltis disf posed in front of the guide and has a finger vor a feeler 8f3 extending through an opening 85 in the vertical wall of the guide into the path of movement of the slides as they are fed" from the magazine. The other arm 86 is positioned on the other side of the vertical wall of the guide and its lower end 8l extends forwardly 4throiugh an opening d8 so as to lie .'adjacentthe 'path'of movement cf the feeder flange TI.` A spring Si is 'secured beneath the upper webk I3 and 'to the 'arm 86 so as to urge the wire element BI to a position wherein the end 80 will be retained within the path of movementof the slides. As the foremost slide is removed from the magazine -it enga-ges the iinger lit?v to pivot the wire element 8! and dispose the end 81 inthe path .of return movement of the'feeder flange-'Il'. vA more complete description of the stop means will appear hereinafter. f 1

The feeder D, as previously' mentioned, urges a column of slides in edge-to-edge're'lation along 'the slides lto fall 'across the ledge of the slide through 270 :from the pesi-tion' .l

where it leaves the guide and the position-Gwh'ere -it is stacked within the 'receiver'.ifByffall'ing through 270 the slides larestacked in front face 'to rear face order'inl'the saine manner lin which they were originally disposed within the supply magazine.- "Consequently, theoper'ator can remove the -stacked slides from the receiver and be' assured-:that theyare in proper arrangement 'for yreinsertion' 'within lthe supply magazine.

' Fig. l0 illustrates a slight modification of the ejecting structure' in 'thatthe' previouslyr -de-A 'scribed arcuate spring SII is replaced by an arcuate boss 95 struck from the' 'wall I2 of the guide adjacent its righthand end. The boss V95 Vfunctions in the saine vmanner as the "spring Sii in that/it 'cams 'the/flipper edgeof the slide rearwardly so that they will .fall "across the.ledge 50 into the receiver. The operation 'of the-boss 95 andthe spring Se are substantially identical in that they tilt the to'p edge of the slides rearwardly when they Vcome into registry with the receiver to a'posi'tion wherein gravity will cause and tumble into the receiverr as described. f i'.

Turningr now to explanation 'of the coinplete operation of the slide changer we shall commence with ther supply magazine. .The slides are arranged. infront face to rear face vorder and disposed within vthe supply magazine so that 'herear faces 'of the slides will be directed toward the wall 2 of the guide.l 'Loading of-Ithe slides in the supply magazine is facilitated by the provisionv of an ear 96` deflected rearwardly rfrom the follower .flange 3d so as -to engage a transverse pin lll journaled in the walls 3l and 32 of the magazine. When the follower is shifted rearwardly to receive the supply of slides, the follower 33 will be retainedv 'in the withdrawn position by engagement of the ear 96 with the pin Sl. Disengagement is easily effected by pushing the follower forwardly to urge the slides toward the guide.

The pin Sl Vserves an additional purpose in that itretains the follower t3 the guide A for successive disposition 'beforeth'e Y After lprojection the slides are moved to the right end of`r the guide where they are successively receiver C.

At the righthand end of the guide an arcuate spring im is secured at its right end to the guide wall I2 with its convex portion facing rearwardly. This spring is disposed belou7 the upper web I3 at the cut-away portion 22v of the flange.

`An aperture gl is provided'in wall'l I2 to receive the lefthand end of the spring so that the lefthand end of the spring lwill project` forwardly through the wall I2. The arcuate spring 99 provides a cam forishifting the upper edge of the transparencies rearwardly as they are moved into registry with the receiver C. As previously mentioned, the slides are pivoted about their lower edge to fall across the ledge 58. Thereafter, -tlie slides tumble over the rear edge of the ledge 53 to spin or somersault'about an axis between their upper and lower edges and fall into thereceiver C. In Fig. 6 ofthe' drawings,v

there is shown -in dot and dash lines a slide fall ing into the 4receiver andthe various positions taken by the slide are numbered l through 6. The rear face of the slide is shown in' slightly heavier lines than is the forward face so as to vclearly illustrate the tumbling or somersaulting collected within thev yond the stop finger de.

in `sliding engagement with the bottom .3d of the magazine. The foremost slides within'the supply magazine are disposed within the upper and lower trackwaysitljand "i8 on the guide at 'the Ycut-away vflange 'sections I and iil. There may be three or more slides disposed Vinthe trackways depending upon theindividu'al thickness of the slides.Y Y .j

The next operation is todepress tliebulb 'I8 on vthe pneumatic pump so as to project the feeder D from the retracted position on the lefthand side of the magazine to the extended position to the projection or cani 5d on the feeder engages the' face of the second Aslide in the magazine to urge the remaining slides inthe magazine rearwardly against the follower 33 so as to prevent snagging or jamming between the foremost slide and the second slide. The wiper 65 ywipes across the face Yof the foremost slide as it is removed from the y magazine toreturn a second slide to the maga- 'zine should it be moved concurrently with the foremost slide.

During movement from the magazine the foremost slide engages the finger 80 on the wire element 8| to pivot thev wire arms 85 and 86 forwardly and thus dispose the lower end 81 of the arm 86 in the path of Vreturn movement of the flange 11 on the feeder. Thus, until the foremost slide has moved with the feeder D to the fully extended position of the feeder so as to clear the nger 80, the wire end 81 will block return movement of the feeder to the fully retracted position. Unless the feeder is allowed to return to the fully retracted position, it cannot engage the next foremost slide in the magazine. This operation of the wire stop element 8| prevents feeding of a second slide from the magazine until the foremost slide has been completely removed therefrom along the guide.

Reciprocation of the feeder D successively moves the slides from the magazine B and moves them along the guide A in a step-by-step operation. The movement of each slide along the guide is completed in four steps, rst, out of the supply magazine, second, into projection registry, third, out of projection registry, and fourth, into registry with the receiver.

In the fourth step the slide is tilted rearwardly about its lower edge across the receiver ledge 50 and is tumbled into the receiver in the previously described manner. Since the feeder pushes a column of slides across the guide from the magazine one slide is collected in the receiver for each successive stroke of the feeder and the slides are collected within the receiver in the same order and arrangement as existed in the supply magazine.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that there is here provided a slide changing apparatus for successively feeding a plurality of slides from a supply magazine into a position for projection and thereafter the slides are successively collected in an order and arrangement which permits refeeding of the slides without rearrangement. The apparatus is characterized by its simplicity and compact arrangement and the operating elements are particularly adapted for convenient assembly and disassembly so that the elements may be easily and compactly stored andvexpeditiously mounted for operation in connection with a slide projector.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made Without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the langu'age used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of ward the projector, means for reciprocating said feeder between a retracted position at one side of the magazine and an extended position beyond the other side of the magazine, and means for preventing feeding of a second slide until the foremost slide has been entirely removed from the magazine and comprising a stop member movably mounted on said guide and arranged to be shifted by the foremost slide during movement from the magazine from. a normal position to a stop position in the path of movement of said feeder whereby said feeder cannot return to retracted position to move a second slide from the magazine until the foremost slide is completely removed therefrom.

2. Slide changing apparatus comprising an elongated guide having a channel for accommodating movement of the slides in edge-to-edge relation into and out of projection position, a supply magazine mounted on the guide to one side of the projection position and arranged to receive a plurality of slides in front face to rear face relation for delivery to said channel, a feeder slidably mounted on the guide for moving the foremost slide from the magazine toward the projector, means reciprocating said feeder between a retracted position at one side of the magazine and an extended position beyond the other side of the magazine, means for preventing feeding of a second slide until the foremost slide has been entirely removed from the magazine and comprising a stop member pivotally mounted on the guide and having a portion extending into the channel to the delivery side of the magazine and engageable with the foremost slide until said feeder has reached extended position, and another portion of said stop member being movable into the path of movement of said feeder upon engagement of said foremost slide and the rst portion whereby said feeder cannot resume retracted position until the foremost slide is completely removed from the magazine.

3. A slide changing device comprising an elongated guide having upper and lower inturned flanges defining trackways for accommodating longitudinal movement therealong of a column of slides in edge-abutting relation toward a projector, a supply magazine arranged to receive a plurality of slides in front face to rear face relation for delivery to the trackways of said guide, a feeder slidably mounted on the guide for moving the foremost slide in said trackways from said magazine towards the projector, means reciprooating said feeder between a retracted position at one side of the magazine and an extended position beyond the other side of the magazine, and means for preventing feeding of a second slide until the foremost slide has been entirely removed from the magazine and comprising a stop member pivotally supported on the guide and having one end portion extending into the lower trackway to the delivery side of said magazine so as to be engaged by the foremost slide upon movement from the magazine, the other end portion of said stop member being disposed adjacent the path of movement of said feeder and movable into the path of movement upon engagement of said foremost slide and said one end portion, whereby said feeder cannot return to retracted positionuntil the foremost slide has been completely removed from the magazine.

4. A slide changing device comprising an elongated guide having a channel for accommodating movement of the slides in edge-to-edge relation towards a projector, a supply magazine arranged to receive a plurality of slides in front face to rear face relation for delivery to the channel of said guide, a feeder slidably mounted on the guide for movement between a retracted position on one side of the magazine and an extended position on the other side of the magazine, said feeder being arranged to engage the foremost slide in said magazine and move it edgewise therefrom along the channel of the guide, a projection on said feeder engageable with the face of the second slide in said magazine to move it rearwardly in the magazine as said rst slide is removed therefrom, means reciprocating said feeder between said retracted position and said extended position, and means for preventing feeding of a second slide until the foremost slide has been entirely'removed from the magazine comprising a stop member pivotally mounted on said guide and arranged to be shifted by the foremost slide during movement from the magazine from a normal position to a stop position in the path of movement of said feeder whereby said feeder cannot return to retracted position until said foremost slide is completely removed from the magazine.

5. A slide changing device comprising a horizontally disposed elongated guide having a generally vertical wall and upper and lower generally horizontal webs, each of said webs having an inturned ange defining upper and lower trackways for accommodating longitudinal movement along the guide of a column of slides toward a projector, said upper and lower flanges having vertically aligned notches and the lower web being depressed adjacent the notch in the lower flange to provide a seat. said vertical wall having an aperture adjacent said seat, a troughlike supply magazine having a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, said bottom wall having a forwardly extending lug engageable within said aperture so as to seat said bottom wall on the lower web within the lower notch, and each of said side walls having an outturned ear engageable behind the upper flange adjacent the upper notch so as to connect said magazine to said guide with its forward end adjacent the vertical wall of said guide.

FRANCIS CHEYNEY BEEKLJSiY- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 590,903 Newman Sept. 28, 1897 1,298,417 Stillwaggon Mar. 25, 1919 2,260,660 Darwin Oct. 28, 1941 2,310,047 Waldeyer Feb. 2, 1943 2,476,797 Bennett et al. July 19, 1949 2,513,102 Parlini et al. June 27, 1950 2,549,898 Fish Apr. 24, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,324 Great Britain of 1910 

